


Reunited

by 1917_and_feelings



Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Fix-It, maybe some underlying blakefield if you squint, the brotherly reunion we all wanted, the ending we deserved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23989627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1917_and_feelings/pseuds/1917_and_feelings
Summary: In which Tom doesn’t die and gets to see Joe again.
Kudos: 14





	Reunited

They’d done it. They had finally reached the second devons, and with only minimal casualties. They were almost too late. But after finally convincing MacKenzie that it wasn’t a prank, and the attack was called off, they finally allowed themselves a breather. 

Once out of the dugout Tom and Will hugged, laughing with relief. The journey had been a dangerous and scary one, but they pulled through. 

Now the hunt was on to find Tom’s brother, Joe, who’s just like him, only a little older. 

They made their way through the trench, asking soldiers and officers, nothing. They climbed out of the trench, watching out for the medics carrying dying or dead men on stretchers. Tom had to avert his eyes, for fear one of them would be his brother. 

Will did the looking, none of them matched Tom’s description. They got to the aid station. Will asked a medic, nothing. Just as they gave up and stepped out of the tent after looking around some more. They heard a voice. And it sounded awfully familiar. 

Tom gasped, “Joe!” 

The man speaking spun around, and Will had to admit, he did look rather similar to Tom. He envisioned that it’s what Tom will look like in a few years time. 

The man broke out in a grin, “Tommy!” 

The lieutenant ran forward and pulled his younger brother in for a hug. Will smiled at the two, happy they finally got the chance to reunite. 

Joe asked, “Are you two behind the attack being called off? MacKenzie never calls an attack off.” 

Tom nodded, “Yeah! It’s such an interesting story. You’d have to hear it!” 

Joe chuckled, “I would love too, but I’m a little bit busy right now. Why don’t you and your friend go get checked out by a medic and get some food while I take care of some things. You two look like you’ve been through it. Then I’ll come chat with you two. Meet you by the tree?” 

Tom nodded and gave Joe another hug. They obeyed Joe’s orders then went to the tree and sat down. 

Will’s aching joints thanking him for finally resting, his stomach thanking him for finally being full of food. 

Tom hugged Will, “We did it!” 

Will smiled at the younger man, “Mm-hm. You need to eat though, you’ll get sick if you don’t.” 

Tom gave him a smile then ate the watery soup they’d been given. 

Joe kept his promise and roughly a half an hour later Joe joined them, with his own bit of food. 

“Well,” Joe sighed, looking at Will, “I don’t believe I have formally introduced myself yet. I’m Lieutenant Joseph Blake. But you can just call me Joe. Who are you?” 

“Lance Corporal Schofield. Most people just call me Scho.” 

They shook hands. Joe glanced to Tom. 

“Are you two friends?” 

Will nodded, but let Tom do the talking, “Yeah. We’ve known each other for a while now. Ever since I got to the eighth. I was paired up with him for a patrol. Have been friends ever since.”

Joe smiled, “That’s nice. So tell me all about how you got here. Looks like it was rough.” 

“Well,” Tom began, “yesterday we were told General Erinmore wanted to see us. Which we both thought was pretty weird, but we went anyways because orders are orders. We get to his dugout and he starts asking me about you. Which I thought was odd, and my first thought was that you had died or something. But, obviously, you haven’t. So he explains to us that the Germans had left, they were no longer in their trenches across no man’s land from us. That they were on the run and were plotting something big. And that MacKenzie was thinking they were simply on the run, and was going to attack them. But Erinmore has some Arial photos to show us otherwise. They were dug in for a fight. They wanted you guys to attack them. So he told us we had to deliver a letter from him, to colonel MacKenzie which were direct orders to call off the attack. And we only had one day to do it. Which was pretty daunting, but I got over it eventually. So we leave. We find a man named Lieutenant Leslie-”

“Wait. Lieutenant Leslie?” Joe asks. 

Tom and Will looked at each other in confusion but they both nod. 

Joe laughs, “I met him in training! Always so grouchy, and never without some alcohol and a cigarette. We’re still in touch. He’s a great guy once you get to know him. A Lieutenant has no business being in command.” 

Will nodded in agreement. 

Tom continued, “Anyways, he gave us a flare and showed us the easiest spot to cross. We crossed and sure enough, the Germans were gone. As if they vanished into thin air. But they didn’t leave without causing some problems first. They destroyed their trenches, making it impossible to navigate and get out. The only way out was through their bunker. We’re in there, and a bloody rat triggers a damn tripwire. An explosion happened. I was relatively fine, knocked me off my feet but other than that no big deal. Scho, on the other hand, got buried beneath some rubble. I managed to get him out, thankfully he wasn’t hurt, but the bunker was starting to cave in on us. Which is a pretty big fucking problem. He couldn’t see, dust had gotten into his eyes, so it was up to me to get us both out-”

Joe looked to Will, “Are you sure it was Tom you were with? He’s so clumsy sometimes-”

“Shut up!” 

Will laughed at their banter, “It was him, I’m sure of it.” 

Joe teased, “Aw, Tom, you’re all grown up!” 

“Shut it!” 

Will laughed even harder. Once they calmed down, Tom let Will take control of telling the story. 

“We got out, just in time. Fired the flare and kept going. Then we got this farm, the Germans had obviously been there, it was ransacked. Cherry trees cut down as well. Livestock killed. As we were there a German plane crashed. We tried helping the pilot, but he didn’t speak any English, and we don’t speak any German. He nearly stabbed Tom, had him pinned to the ground, but I shot him before anything could happen.” 

“Wait a minute,” Joe sighed, “you two tried to help an enemy pilot?” 

Tom said, “To be fair, it was my idea.” 

“What the fuck Thomas?” 

“Hey! I felt bad for the guy! He was injured, I just wanted to help!” 

Will stepped in, “Doesn’t matter now. Tom’s still here. And the pilot is dead. Anyways, a regiment is passing through and take us some of the way in their truck. We get to Ecoust and a sniper is waiting for us. We manage to take him down, only a bullet piercing my helmet. Knocked me out for a bit, but Tom helped me. Then we get going again and another German starts shooting at us. We get to safety in a cellar only to find a teenage girl and baby hiding out in there. We stay for a bit to try and help comfort them, and give them our food. She begged for us to stay, but obviously we couldn’t. We get out and come face to face with a young German soldier who’s as scared to see us as we are him. He was probably only about 17. I ended up having to kill him cause he alerted others that we were there.” 

Tom mumbled, “I didn’t like that part very much.” 

“Had to happen.” 

“Still! Strangled him with your own hands!” 

Will sighed, “Anyways. We end up having to jump into a river cause the Germans were onto us. It was a rough ride, but we made it. Almost didn’t find the damn colonel but we did.” 

Joe stared at them in disbelief, “Jesus Christ...you two really have been through it, huh?” 

They nodded. Joe pulled each of them in for a hug. 

He smiled, “I’m glad you made it.” 

They idly chatted until Tom dozed off, head resting on Will’s shoulder. Joe smiled at his younger brother, then looked at Will. 

“Thank you for being his friend. He really likes you a lot, I’ve heard about you in letters he’s wrote.” 

Will blushed and smiled. 

Joe lit a cigarette, “I’m happy to know someone’s looking out for him there. He can get into trouble without realizing it.” 

“Don’t I know.” 

They fell into a comfortable silence, watching the sun slip beneath the horizon. They all felt at peace, despite the war raging on around them.


End file.
